Power and Wealth

Afternoon.

Onboard the cargo ship.

Dong Xuebing finally got onto the deck and looked around while panting. Three Asian crew are standing 3 meters diagonally away from him, and they are the ones he saw from the reef rock. These men look like Japanese from their features, and one of them is smoking. The cigarette smoke is hanging in mid-air, and the other two men are smiling. They seem to be laughing over something before STOP comes into effect.

Dong Xuebing hides before saying STOP in his heart.

Time resumed.

"Who do you think is that person?"

"He should be a fisherman caught in a shipwreck. But why is he here?"

"That's right. Hahaha… He is still hoping to be saved by us."

"I think he will not last a few days without food and water. He will die here sooner or later."

"Yes. No ships other than us, making a detour, will pass by here."

"Eh? Where is that man? Look at that reef rock!"

"Was he swept into the sea by the waves?"

"I did not see any waves. Could he be swimming after us?"

"Hahaha… what an idiot. Swim? He must catch up with us first!"

Dong Xuebing does not understand what they are saying but can tell they speak in some Japanese dialects. Are these people Japanese?! Damn! I had boarded your country's place and met with an air crash, and you all refused to save me?! He can tell these people are not sea crew from their expression. They look more like gangsters, and he was shocked to see them carry guns on their waist!

Is this a smuggler's ship?

Is it use for drugs or human trafficking?

Dong Xuebing finally understood why this ship had passed by this area. Most cargo ships will avoid navigation routes near areas with reef rocks. But this is not the time to think about all these. He needs to find water, as his legs are wobbly after running a few hundred meters.

STOP!

Time stopped again!

Dong Xuebing looks at the three Japanese and entered the bridge behind them, and closes the door.

An armed middle-aged man is standing guard inside.

Dong Xuebing walks past him and looks into every room inside.

A few moments later, Dong Xuebing's eyes brighten. He had entered a room for resting, and there's no one around. He closed the door behind him and looked around. There's a bed, a table, a coffee table, a TV, two pieces of bread on the table, and a pot of coffee. The coffee should be placed there for a while as it is not hot anymore.

Is this the captain's cabin? It's quite luxurious.

Dong Xuebing immediately resume time. STOP!

"[email protected]@$!#%#&#%&%$^$…." The TV is on, and it's playing some Japanese programs.

Dong Xuebing grabbed the pot of coffee and sat on the bed before finishing everything in one gulp!

Refreshing!

Dong Xuebing grabbed the bread and quickly ate it.

Nothing feels better than having food to eat and water to drink.

Dong Xuebing did not treat himself as an outsider. After eating and drinking, he took off his clothes, which looks more like pieces of cloth, and threw them under the bed. He got a wet towel to start wiping himself and tidying his hair. He searched the closet and found a suit with leather shoes. The suit is slightly bigger, but the shoes are just nice. After wearing the suit, he stood in front of the mirror and nodded.

He looks more like a person now.

Oh, where is this ship heading?

This is crucial to Dong Xuebing. He searched the room and found a map. It's a map of Japan, and someone had drawn a navigation route with a pen. An area on the map is circled, and it should be the ship's destination. It is a city by the seas, and it's not far from Tokyo.

This ship is returning to Japan?!

This does not make a difference to Dong Xuebing, as he did not hope to get on board a ship to return to China. Anyway, he can find a way back once he reaches Japan.

He kept the map in his pocket and took a cigarette out of a packet he found under the coffee table.

It's been days since he smoked, and it felt good.

Dong Xuebing crossed his legs and watched TV as if he is the captain of the ship.

The news on TV is reporting something that caught Dong Xuebing's attention. He does not know how the ship got its TV signals or if the news is prerecorded. It is reporting about flight J736!

That's the flight Dong Xuebing was on when it crashed!

He is furious when he saw the news about the flight. The engine caught fire, and the emergency exit doors cannot be opened! What a lousy plane!

The newscaster reported in Japanese and showed footage of aircraft debris floating on the sea. This footage is taken from a helicopter, and a few search and rescue boats are salvaging the debris.

Is this the crash site?

Dong Xuebing frowned because he could read some Chinese characters in the Japanese captions on the footage. "237 passengers" "Crash" It's been so many days, and the news is still reporting about this air crash. It must be quite shocking as 237 lives are gone just like this. This crash seems to be more serious than previous air crashes.

The news continued with the reports.

No survivors?

Halting the search efforts temporary?!

They managed to salvage some of the victims' bodies, and the rest disappeared due to the explosion?!

Dong Xuebing had guessed correctly after watching the news. Everyone thinks there are no survivors of this crash, and all the passengers are dead.

Dong Xuebing rested on the bed for a while, smoked another cigarette, and drank some water. He looks at his hands and thinks back on his brushes with death in the past few days. If he doesn't have BACK and STOP and happened to see this 'smugglers' ship,' he should be dead. It's a miracle for him to be alive.